Taika Waititi is back with the latest instalment of Thor: Love and Thunder with the same tongue in cheek humour in a cosmic spectacular is the shortest Marvel movie in awhile at just under two hours but it is a perfect length. 

The phrase never meet your heroes Gods seems to play a part in this movie and gods are huge arseholes with the exception of Thor. You can feel how much Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman are enjoying the movie so much that the enjoyment radiates off the screen. Hemsworth is real and unembarrassed and seems to be having the time of his life. Opposite to Hemsworth’s Thor, the mighty Thor, Jane Foster has this reckless and unafraid go get it attitude that  compliments Hemsworth’s relaxed demeanor, the on screen partnership is one of the most interesting dynamics of the film.

Thor Has to confront the God butcher Gorr (Christian Bale) , a terrifying Necro sword-wielding character whose only aim is to kill all gods. Gorr is dangerous and remarks how the sword “doesn’t feel like a curse, it feels like a purpose” and you feel his intense purpose throughout the movie. It is a testament to Christian Bale’s chilling performance as a Gorr as well as use of visual dynamics that pair perfectly.

Early on, Thor parts ways with the guardians of the Galaxy and recruits a new team after the children of Asgard are abducted by Gorr. Unfortunately he cannot recruit his hero, Zeus, or any other Gods in a brilliant scene but has Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Waititi) and the mighty Thor herself, Dr Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) to rescue the Asgardian children that were abducted by Gorr. Jane has her own story, and really this film is not only about Thor, different iterations of love but about Jane and her life. Jane has stage 4 cancer but does not let them stop her. She finds Mjölnir after it calls out to her and reforms from its shattered self to aid her. Mjölnir, in some ways, could be a symbol of Jane and her cancer treatment. She thought she was broken, shattered with stage 4 like Mjölnir was shattered in Ragnarok. Both Mjölnir and Jane are shattered versions of each other but both have the hope of another life, of a chance to do more. The reason why Mjölnir looks out for Jane is revealed partway through the film but is simplistic and touching. One thing I appreciated is that her cancer diagnosis was not treated with the same old saying of “fighting it”. Jane chooses to fight bad guys and save people over fighting her cancer and she is fantastic. The reformed Mjölnir even has a few shattering new tricks that are visually stunning. 

Portman and Hemsworth are having the best time with great romantic and comedic chemistry that has its more serious moments near there films final act. Christian Bale combats the humour with the literal darkness of his character and the subtly creepiness that disturbs even the most desensitised viewer. In the past, I never cared for Thor villains and did not find them interesting but Bale draws you in and freaks you out in the best way. Bale’s performance as the god butcher set him aside as one of Thor’s best villains and unapologetically so.

Every marvel movie has cameos but Thor: Love and Thunder has quite a lot. Some are familiar faces, some new to the MCU that had the entire screen cheering and gasping. You’ll know when you see it. Normally, I find cameos in the MCU trivial and not adding anything to the plot but these cameos entertain and set up for future movies. And we know Thor will be back because it is revealed he is returning. 

The movie is a celebratory blast of colour, energy and emotion that is about love in all its forms, coming to terms with grief and just having fun. With the shadow world draining all colour from Gorr, it is a perfect symbol of depression and grief, of the hurt one feels when they lose someone so close. When all happiness seems to have gone from the world, nothing left but shadows and anger. Every second was enjoyable and fun, exactly what you would expect from a Thor Waititi movie. 

Visually, the film is stunning. The colours are bright, fun, technicolour and matched with an upbeat soundtrack. The most memorable and beautiful shots have to be the scenes with Gorr. They are shot beautifully and leave a lasting impact. Anytime we are taken to the shadow realm, it’s simple but effective. From draining colour we are left with captivating performances for all involved.

The not so great parts have to do with the worst Chris, Chris Pratt. It was a relief that he did not feature much in the movie. Compared to the comedic skill in the rest of the cast, he was lacking and it was as if you could see him trying too hard to be funny and it became painfully obvious when Hemsworth was so natural at it. There wasn’t much Valkyrie but she still has a great dynamic with Thor and Jane and I can’t wait to see more of her. 

MVC is split. Both Thor and Jane Foster. The bond they have propels the plot and creates some great moments